A love letter to the TV shows we only see 10 minutes of before a playoff game

If you watch the NBA or NHL playoffs, you've probably seen between 10 and 100 minutes of any number random syndicated shows, most likely a police procedural of some sort. It's an inevitable part of being a sports fan: catching the end of a rerun for a show you've never even thought about watching before.

We've all tuned into strange things while waiting for the program we actually WANT to see, not just during postseason sports. But of all the shows that you're likely to spend this particular, insignificant amount of time with (never knowing the setup or motives, only being around for the revelation and denouement) -- Castle, any USA Network original show about white people who hold a job of some sort, an entire cornucopia of NCISes or CSIs -- Bones is almost certainly the best of all of them.

Here is Bones in a nutshell, based almost entirely off what I've gleaned in my pre-postseason viewings. In other words, these are Bones' bona fides:

1. Is about a brilliant bones specialist who lacks social skills. She's an expert at bones. Her nickname is "Bones."

2. Every single episode involves bones being found and Bones having to crack the secret of the bones in order to catch a killer or solve a case.

3. Bones is joined by Booth, an FBI person played by the almost incomprehensibly likable David Boreanaz.

4. Booth and Bones.

5. There are a bunch of other people in Bones' lab who help her with her work. Seriously, there are like 50 people that we're expected to know about.

6. Almost every time the show comes back from commercial, someone is looking at a big pile of bones.

7. One time I tuned into an episode before a Hawks-Wizards game and Bones was giving birth to a baby on the floor of a barn. Booth was delivering the baby. I assume the baby had strong bones.

8. It's a show about bones, called Bones, starring a character nicknamed "Bones."

Castle is about a cocky novelist who helps the cops. CSI is basically Michael Bay without a budget. NCIS is about the coolest summer school teacher in the world. USA Network says characters are welcome, but are they, really? Only Bones is about bones, which makes it an instant win in my book.

There probably aren't too many more opportunities left this year to accidentally watch the end of Bones. Please make them count. Don't let this wonderfully absurd yet completely by-the-numbers procedural pass you by without taking the time to appreciate how lucky we all are that this show not only exists, but is coming back for an 11th season in the fall. Eleven seasons! THAT'S SO MANY BONES.

We salute you, Bones. Keep churning out these bones-centric stories and we'll keep watching them. For about eight to 10 minutes at a time. When we're waiting for sports to start. This is our solemn vow.

So the next time you're stuck watching a syndicated program before a playoff game starts, take the time to appreciate it. Especially if they're talking about bones. Then you know it's quality.